Population 27,967 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in ZIP 02186
Household size in ZIP 02186
| Period | ZIP 02186 | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.77 | 2.54 | 2.53 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.81 | 2.59 | 2.57 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.91 | 2.60 | 2.57 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 3.03 | 2.55 | 2.52 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.26 | +0.01 | −0.01 | −0.03 |
ZIP 02186 is a place of big households: 3.03 people per home on average, compared with 2.65 nationally. Numbers like that usually point to plenty of families with kids. Household size has climbed from 2.77 in 2006–10, even as the national average fell. Of the 343 Massachusetts ZIP codes with 5,000+ people, only nine have larger households.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in ZIP 02186
| Period | ZIP 02186 | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 42.3 | 38.9 | 39.4 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 39.1 | 39.7 | 40.1 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 41.6 | 40.4 | 41.0 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 39.7 | 40.8 | 41.4 | 40.1 |
| Change | −2.5 | +1.9 | +2.0 | +2.3 |
At 39.7, the median age in ZIP 02186 is close to the national median of 40.1, so its age mix looks much like the country's. The median age has dropped from 42.3 in 2006–10, even as the national median rose.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in ZIP 02186
| Period | ZIP 02186 | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 8.4% | 10.4% | 11.0% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 11.3% | 10.2% | 11.0% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 7.1% | 9.6% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 10.1% | 9.7% | 10.6% | 11.6% |
| Change | +1.6 pts | −0.7 pts | −0.4 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are a bit less common in ZIP 02186 than nationally: 10.1%, against 11.6%. The Boston area as a whole looks much the same. Since 2006–10, the single-parent share has risen 1.6 points, even as the national share fell.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in ZIP 02186
Renters in ZIP 02186
| Period | ZIP 02186 | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 17.5% | 36.8% | 36.0% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 21.0% | 38.5% | 37.7% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 15.8% | 38.3% | 37.6% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 15.1% | 38.4% | 37.5% | 34.8% |
| Change | −2.4 pts | +1.6 pts | +1.5 pts | +1.5 pts |
Only 15.1% of households in ZIP 02186 rent their homes, far below the national share of 34.8%, so most residents are owners who tend to stay put. More than a quarter of owners (27.1%) have paid off their mortgages, well below the national share of 39.8%. Rentals cluster in the northwest; owners are most common in the southeast. The renter share is down 2.4 points from 2006–10, even as the national share rose.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in ZIP 02186
| Period | ZIP 02186 | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 5.8% | 8.1% | 9.5% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 5.4% | 7.4% | 9.1% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 6.3% | 7.3% | 8.9% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 4.1% | 6.7% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Change | −1.7 pts | −1.4 pts | −1.6 pts | −1.8 pts |
Empty homes are scarce in ZIP 02186: just 4.1% sit vacant, compared with 9.6% nationally, a sign of a tight housing market. Since 2006–10, vacancy has fallen 1.7 points, as it has nationally. ZIP 02186 has a lower vacancy rate than at least four in five Massachusetts ZIP codes.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in ZIP 02186
| Period | ZIP 02186 | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1949 | 1958 | 1958 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1951 | 1959 | 1959 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1950 | 1961 | 1961 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1952 | 1964 | 1963 | 1980 |
| Change | +3 | +6 | +5 | +6 |
The housing in ZIP 02186 is old by national standards: the median home dates to 1952, against 1980 for the U.S., so buyers will find more older houses, some of them due for updates. The newest homes are mostly in the southwest, the oldest in the north. ZIP 02186 has older homes than the great majority of Massachusetts ZIP codes.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in ZIP 02186
| Period | ZIP 02186 | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $1,132 | $1,171 | $1,085 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $1,320 | $1,251 | $1,157 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $1,903 | $1,537 | $1,398 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,859 | $2,051 | $1,860 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$727 | +$881 | +$775 | +$606 |
A typical rental in ZIP 02186 costs $1,859 a month with utilities, above the national median of $1,571. Still, rents here are lower than in the Boston area overall ($2,051). Rent has climbed $727 a month since 2006–10, up 64%, roughly in step with the nation. The typical renter here spends 28.8% of household income on rent, just under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, and a smaller share than renters pay nationally.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in ZIP 02186
Bachelor's degrees in ZIP 02186
| Period | ZIP 02186 | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 56.1% | 42.2% | 38.5% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 63.1% | 44.1% | 40.1% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 62.2% | 48.2% | 43.6% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 74.5% | 51.9% | 47.2% | 35.6% |
| Change | +18.4 pts | +9.7 pts | +8.7 pts | +7.2 pts |
College graduates are unusually common in ZIP 02186: 74.5% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor's degree or higher, against 35.6% nationally. Education tends to track local incomes and the kinds of jobs nearby. The share with a degree has risen 18.4 points since 2006–10, as it has nationally.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in ZIP 02186
| Period | ZIP 02186 | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 94.7% | 89.8% | 88.4% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 97.3% | 90.6% | 89.3% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 94.9% | 91.5% | 90.5% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 96.1% | 91.8% | 91.0% | 89.3% |
| Change | +1.4 pts | +2.1 pts | +2.6 pts | +4.3 pts |
High school completion is high in ZIP 02186: 96.1% of adults 25 and older have a diploma or equivalent, well above the national rate of 89.3%. Since 2006–10, the share with a diploma has edged up 1.4 points, a smaller shift than nationally.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in ZIP 02186
| Period | ZIP 02186 | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 5.4% | 7.0% | 7.5% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 5.9% | 8.0% | 8.7% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 3.4% | 4.6% | 5.0% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 4.2% | 4.9% | 5.2% | 5.4% |
| Change | −1.2 pts | −2.1 pts | −2.3 pts | −2.7 pts |
Jobs have been a little easier to find in ZIP 02186 than nationally: unemployment was 4.2%, against 5.4%. Unemployment has edged down 1.2 points since 2006–10, as it has nationally. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
ZIP 02186 compared with nearby ZIP codes
| ZIP code | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZIP 02186 | 3.03 | 39.7 | 10.1% | 15.1% | 4.1% | 1952 | $1,859 | 74.5% | 96.1% | 4.2% |
| ZIP 02126 | 2.93 | 39.5 | 21.8% | 54.0% | 6.4% | 1953 | $1,720 | 24.3% | 87.2% | 11.0% |
| ZIP 02136 | 2.78 | 37.8 | 20.3% | 47.5% | 4.6% | 1954 | $1,989 | 36.6% | 88.9% | 5.9% |
| ZIP 02124 | 2.81 | 37.7 | 24.1% | 58.0% | 5.9% | 1948 | $1,772 | 32.2% | 83.5% | 9.3% |
| ZIP 02170 | 2.48 | 39.9 | 6.3% | 47.9% | 6.5% | 1945 | $1,998 | 47.4% | 88.1% | 6.1% |
| ZIP 02122 | 2.62 | 40.3 | 17.0% | 55.5% | 8.3% | 1944 | $2,220 | 37.1% | 79.1% | 8.6% |
| ZIP 02131 | 2.50 | 40.7 | 10.6% | 41.2% | 5.7% | 1947 | $2,104 | 52.9% | 91.3% | 5.6% |
| ZIP 02171 | 2.36 | 41.8 | 5.6% | 46.1% | 8.0% | 1958 | $2,407 | 53.1% | 89.2% | 5.8% |
| ZIP 02121 | 2.81 | 34.9 | 25.4% | 76.6% | 6.8% | 1950 | $1,297 | 20.3% | 75.9% | 10.7% |
| ZIP 02169 | 2.23 | 40.3 | 7.1% | 58.5% | 5.9% | 1963 | $2,121 | 49.5% | 91.6% | 7.4% |
| ZIP 02132 | 2.36 | 44.1 | 8.9% | 31.1% | 9.3% | 1951 | $2,211 | 65.8% | 95.6% | 3.7% |
All figures 2020–24.
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About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up ZIP 02186. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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